Hand in Hand
by AnHeiressofaSOLDIER
Summary: "The second to last Weasley knew just how people's insults could make one feel like they were drowning. That, then, was Hermione's greatest fear. Dying through people's taunts. Giving her enemies the satisfaction of seeing her break down."


**Hand in Hand**

Ron watched Hermione intently as she prepared to destroy the Horcrux. He knew better than anyone that it would try to kill her before she could kill it. He could still feel the phantom hold that Voldermort had placed on his heart. Tom Riddle had brought to life the parts about himself that he hated the most. Ron had been able to fight back his fears come true, but he wondered if Hermione could. There was no telling what she would see when she stabbed the ticking piece of Tom's soul. Not even Hermione's books held the answers anymore.

That, more than anything, would scare his best friend the most. Hermione who, when presented with a bogart, saw herself failing all her classes at Hogwarts. Ron kept a weather eye because he knew she didn't have all the answers this time. But for once, he was going to pick up the slack. He wasn't going to be lazy. He would be what Hermione had always been for him. And if Hermione should falter, Ron promised himself he would be there to catch her.

Rising her hand up, Hermione's motion was fast and true. She brought the Basilisk fang down onto the cup, and her eyes were lit with a fire. A strength. It was something Ron had seen in Hermione more than anyone, as he constatly provoked her ire. He knew the tell-tale strength he'd always noted in her wouldn't fail: the Horcrux would be destroyed. Ron prepared to smile at her assuredly. Maybe he'd even ask her what kind of mental ordeal she'd had to go through.

As it was, it wasn't just a mental struggle Hermione had been forced to face. Ron should have known this, but he didn't expect the Horcrux to strike back _after_ it had been destroyed. He saw the water begin to rise just as Hermione did. The pure-blood and Muggle-born both scampered to their feet. The water was building higher and higher. Fuller and fuller. The two's hands slipped into each other's, as they began desperately backing away from what could be their downfall.

Their wands were at the ready, but Ron wondered if they'd even get the chance to use them. They were both shocked. Terrified. A Horcrux had never acted like this before. If it was destroyed and attacking them... would it ever stop? Would it ever be destroyed? Would he ever get to tell Hermione how he felt?

He saw her from the corner of his eye. As he took in her expression, and the water arround them, he was reminded of something: how whenever he'd hurt Hermione's feelings (though she'd try not to show it), her eyes would fill with tears until she could keep them at bay. Whenever she cried, Ron had always found himself more inclined to beg for her forgiveness. Hermione never cried, and Ron wondered if she'd made a pact with herself to never show weakness.

Ron knew that Hermione was made fun of a lot for her cleverness. Even before she'd come to Hogwarts people had been cruel to her. They were alike in that sense. And the second to last Weasley knew just how people's insults could make one feel like they were drowning. That, then, was Hermione's greatest fear. Dying through people's taunts. Giving her enemies the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

Hermione Jean Granger's biggest fear was suffering through something not even a spell could save her from. The darkness would claw at her, the oxygen would leave her. It would be reminiscent of hysterical crying. Gradually she'd lose her strength until she couldn't move or even dream of fightng back. For someone that strived for order as much as Hermione, it was no wonder why she feared such a thing.

The water was almost upon them now, and as Hermione's expressions said so much more than his did, he knew she was reliving every hurtful moment. Ron, more than anythng, wished he could take back the own pain he'd caused her. But he couldn't. All he could do was save her now. All of this was in Hermione's head. She was making it a deadly force with her emotions and inability to let go. If he could help her through it, they would be free.

Ron squeezed Hermione's fingers as tightly as he dared. He willed her to understand he'd never meant any of the awful things he'd said, he willed her to know how much she meant to him, but more than that he allowed her to know he'd help her through anything. Always. And he made an impact just in time. The water poured over them in gallons and gallons. It was less then what it had been, but it still should have killed them. It didn't. Hermione wasn't allowing her past wounds to hurt her anymore, and the water's power was void because of it.

The last time Ron had been in the Chamber of Secrets, he'd been afraid he'd die in a sea of clutter that Professor Lockhart had created when his wand backfired. He had been happy to be alive then (and that Harry and Ginny were when they returned). But he was even more happy to be alive now. Hermione also seemed in awe with a shocked, but almost amused look on her face. Just in that look, he could tell she was a better Hermione. A lighter Hermione. They needed to remain hopeful, after all. They needed to regroup with Harry, destroy the last Horcruxes, and save the Wizarding World.

Ron was also changed when the torrent washed over him. It was like it had made him reborn and allowed him to see everything anew. He understood his and Hermione's relationship now. Cruelty had become such a part of their lives, they'd come to accept it. But they even somewhat encouraged it in each other. It was completely mental, but maybe they needed to understand the playful banter of other couples and how it didn't hurt them. Maybe they needed to believe that behind a person insulting them, there could be someone that could come to like and respect them like their significant other had.

But mostly, maybe they wanted an excuse to read between the lines. A reason to have a hidden "I love you" in every single thing they said. And that would never change. They might bicker less over stupid thngs now that they understood it all, but they'd still argue. They were only human, after all. But Ron promised himself he'd never let her doubt her place in his heart again. He'd never let her cry because of him again. And he would certainly never let her fight against her own mind because of him. Never would he be a wave that crushed her. Instead, he would be an anchor that kept her from sinking.

The two giggled out of relief and satisfaction because of what'd just happened, but they don't kiss yet. No, Ron will give her a chance to sort it out first. An oppurtunity to want to be with him. An oppurtunity to understand what he just had. They still leave the Chamber hand in hand though.

Hermione ends up complimenting Ron's brilliant idea over and over again, and he realizes that she has come to terms in a way similar to how he has. But he still waits. He doesn't know if she's completely where he is yet, and they're in the middle of a war, after all. But when she launches herself at him in the Room of Requirement after he suggests they vacate the House-elves from the kitchens, he has to wonder just what he's been waiting on. And why he just didn't suck it up and join S.P.E.W. to please her from the get-go.

But mostly they kiss breathlessly, passionately. They're making up for lost time, and all the emotion they've ever had for each other is there. They're losing their oxygen, but they couldn't care less. They finally realize that even though it's dangerous, the other is the reason they try swimming in the first place. A wave may come crashing that knocks the other's head below water, but it's the other holding them up in the first place. Though the moon may cause a monsoon and a difficult time for the other, it's only a temporary thing. They'll always come back to _this_. Others may have treaded water, but they'd convinced each other to try gliding across the fully expansive sea. Was it dangerous? Yes. But they'd also brought about a strength in each other. A strength that couldn't be achieved elsewhere. A strength that could weather any storm.

It's for this reason that they don't pull away until Harry says, "OI! There's a war going on here!"

...

"So, what did you face down in the Chamber, then?"

Ron shot Hermione a look from across the picnic table they were sitting at, but it wasn't for that reason that Hermione couldn't answer the question. Harry isn't prying. He isn't even being impersonal in asking about what had happened. It had been months since the Battle of Hogwarts, and they'd all been very sensetive to all that had been lost. For awhile, it had seemed cruel to celebrate and tell battle stories when so many were dead. Fred being one of the hardest deaths to deal with. Eventually, though, when the family at the Burrow had began to heal, they'd talked about it some. But it was nothing like this.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny were sitting outside in the backyard of the Burrow. The sun was beating down on the four in a very comftorable temperature. The sky was painted pink hues as another day was coming to its end. Fall, coincidentally, was also right around the corner. And with it came the chance to move forward. A chance to start anew.

Terrible Quidditch games aside, this place held great memories for the young witch. She didn't think it was fair to ask Harry and Ginny questions, but not answer one of her own, but it was so... personal to her. It was there that she let go of everything that had been holding her back. It was there that she'd let go of the hurts Ron had caused her and realized painful things could be found in anything. Even things that weren't meant to be mean, if one misread the signs. But mainly, that was where she'd finally realized what Ron was to her and allowed herself to fully love him.

Of course, the Room of Requirement was also nice. Ron and Hermione had gone back there once with Harry. He'd wanted to find the old Potions book that had belonged to Severus Snape to use as a memorial for the man. Harry had spent some time talking to Professor McGonagall. Making absolutely sure that she understood all that Snape had done and what a brave, good man he'd been. Ron and Hermione may or may not have shared some kisses when their best friend was away. It was just hard not to. Hermione had even joked that, "We might as well outfit this place for decorations and a wedding ceremony, hadn't we?"

In which Ron had responded, "Being back in this place, where so much has happened, is making you mental, Hermione. But you've always been that way." Yep. Everything was the same, but it was also different. It was the different part that took some gettng used to.

Like not having to go back to school. When they'd been fighting for their lives, Hermione hadn't really thought about it. But now it seemed positively odd that she couldn't go to her final year of school. She'd been so looking forward to a new session in Arithmancy. And Ancient Runes! She'd been preparing for that examination ever since she'd signed up for the class. None of the seventh year students had been able to score an "O" in it. Hermione had been certain that she would be the first!

"Umm. Well..." She was saved from answering by the bell. Or rather, Crookshanks jumping into her lap and distracting the happy couples. The squashed-faced cat had seen it best to jump into Ginny's lap first, and scratch the exposed part of her legs before settling on Harry's foot. As Crookshanks had gained a bit of weight, it wasn't exactly a pleasent thing for Harry. Especially since the ginger cat had dug his claws into Harry's foot, too. Oddly, the fur ball had settled into Hermione's lap without any discomfort from her.

"Blimey, Hermione. That cat is a menace. And getting rather old. If he's this senile now, hurting your friends, what's he going to be like when he gets older?" As if to prove his point, Ron stuck his hand out to the cat. Half expecting Hermione's pet to attack Ron, too, everyone was shocked when he just sniffed Ron's arm, and returned to Hermione's lap.

Said girl laughed at the look on Ron's face, and ran a hand over Crookshank's fur. Well, it looked like they weren't going to get into a row over him for once. "Hush, you! Crookshanks hasn't done anything to you! And need I remind you it was him that saw fit to help Sirius in the Peter Pettigrew incident," Hermione hugged Crookshanks closer to her.

As Harry shifted uncomftorably, Crookshanks fit him with a look. Harry pressed a hand to his scar, perhaps expecting it to still hint at danger. It was clear he was expecting an attack from Crookshanks when he said, "Actually, I'm with Ron on this one. That really hurt, Hermione. The very least you can do is get him declawed."

Hermione glared at her best friend, as she fought the urge to pull her wand out and send some birds attacking the boys. They always had to gang up on her, didn't they? Like about Harry's rule violating Hogsmeade visits, the broom that had been left for him anonymously, and that stupid Potions book. She pulled out her wand for good measure, anyway. With those words, who knew what they'd do to her poor Crookshanks? Perhaps sensing the threat, the orange cat jumped from Hermione's arms, and gracefully went to go head back to the houses entrance.

Ron looked like he was about ready to say something, Harry looked shocked, and Ginny seemed to be prepared to play peace keeper. "Don't worry, Hermione," she said, as she reached across the gray picnic table and patted her hand reassuringly. "We know you'll never let this lot declaw him. And even if you did, they'd be in for something worse. You could come up with a spell so he'd have a better way to defend himself."

Hermione purposefully ignored Harry and Ron's looks of relief, and laid her wand back down on the table. She returned her attention to Ginny, but still gave Ron a warning look when she saw him fighting back a smile. "Well, I'm sure a little Polyjuice potion would fool some of the mean Tomcats. I've actually been playing around with a spell using that, and something similar to an Invisibility Cloak to keep him safe from predato-"

"Hermione, isn't your meeting with Minerva in a few minutes?" That was Mrs. Weasley. She'd poked her head out the door to remind Hermione of her impending conference.

The clever witch clapped a hand over her mouth embarassedly, as the fact had almost completely slipped her mind. "You're right. Thank you, Mrs. Weasley!"

Molly Weasley ducked her head at Hermione's words. She gave her a sad smile before going back inside to continue with the chores. There was a silence for a moment, as the current party took in what she'd seemed to say. _"It's alright, dear. After everything that's happened, it's alright to be scatter-brained like the Muggles would say."_

Ginny was quick to go and see to her mother. The only reason the four hadn't been helping out with the chores had been because they'd wanted to talk to Hermione before she left. And spend time with Ginny before she returned to Hogwarts for her last year. Hermione might have pitied Harry and Ginny for the year they'd have to spend apart (the former had followed Ginny inside when he'd realized her intent) if she wasn't so busy getting ready now.

Why hadn't she brought copies of her course grades, exam grades, and GPA? Well, a quick spell would-

"Hermione, you're being ridiculous, you know. I already talked to her. The fact that we didn't go to Hogwarts last year won't effect our career path. O.W.L.s are all that matter. A lot of people drop out seventh year."

Hermione ignored Ron's assessment as she picked up her wand, focused on a summoning charm, and prepared to apperate as soon as she was able. "Well, I need to make sure our reccords match up for my resume then. Some of the records were lost durring the attack, and-"

And her train of thought was no longer aboard the Hogwarts Express; Ron's sudden lips on her were passionate, loving, and reassuring. All the things she loved about Ron Weasley. All the things she loved about _herself _and Ron Weasley put into this gesture as old as time. Hermione ran a hand through Ron's hair while his right arm encircled her waist. There was something she was forgetting. A reason why she wasn't using both hands and getting completely lost in the kiss. Ron's hand running over her wrist (where a Muggle would wear a watch) had her pushing him away at once.

"Ron, we don't have time for this!" She chastised, as she tried desperately to calm her racing heart and straighten out her shirt. Ugh. She didn't need Professor McGonagall to suspect she'd been snogging. She was already running late. And if this meeting went like she thought it would, she would have a job interview right after. If any data was transferred wrong, she'd just have to reschedule.

"Hermione, if you want to break up, just say so. This meeting is just the catalyst. Then you'll have your job interview, and you'll be thrust into the world of Magical Law Enforcement. With Harry and I as Aurors, we're not exactly going to have time for each other, are we?"

"What?" She fell into the chair she'd just vacated startled. What was he suggesting? He couldn't be- No. Their time in the Chamber had cleared her of any doubts. He was as besotted to her as she was to him. Why, then- was it, perhaps, his own doubts resurfacing? Shouldn't he have defeated them when he destroyed his own Horcrux?

Suddenly she didn't care in the least about her meetings. After all, the Ministry had given her a new Time Turner a month after the battles. They were made to let her (and Harry and Ron with theirs) go back one time. If she needed to do that for her meetings, she would. She was too concerned about Ron to leave him now. She was suddenly very curious. How was it that even in being interviewed many times over, everyone had overlooked one thing: what had Ron seen when he'd destroyed his Horcrux?

It seemed Harry was the only one besides Ron that knew. It wasn't even a question now that she should ask why. She _had_ to know. Ron had helped her with her insecurities. He'd helped her more than anyone else could. If there was even the slightest chance of helping him, she would do whatever she could. She held his hand in her own, as she willed him to sit back in his own white seat. It wasn't lost to her that she was holding onto the same one as she had in the Chamber of Secrets. Once again, the feeling of rightness washed over her. And she would share it with Ron as best as she could. Books and cleverness wouldn't see her through. Now she needed courage and friendship. The emotions she'd always protected herself from, and love. Above all else, love.

"Ron, how can you think that? After everything we've been through, I think it's a bit obvious that I'll stay with you. I love you. Nothing will change that. You'll always be the one I run to." And it was true. Her terrifying ordeal with Bellatrix Lestrange had proven that. Ron would always be the one she ran to. Ron would always be the one to make it all better.

Ron, as if realizing what she was thinking, turned to face her with such sorrow in his eyes. He rubbed the spots that she'd been abused with the Cruciatis Curse, and Hermione sighed in contentment. Just his touch was healng her. Just his presence reminded her of other things. What Bellatrix had done was falling away. The time he'd held her durring Dumbledore's funeral was one of the most well kept memories. It had made her feel better then, and it also did so now. He numbed her to the pain, but let her realize there would good things to remember in this world, too.

"Hermione, my greatest fear has always been that you'll leave me for something greater. You have such a future ahead of you. And it's becoming pretty clear that I don't. No one will remember me in this tale, and I'm okay with that. You find comfort with me, but there are probably a thousand other guys that you could find comfort in. Tons of talented ones, too. It's not fair for me to keep you here."

"You and Harry can be so thick, you know that?" Leaning over to Ron's chair, Hermione situated herself so she could sit with her head, neck, shoulders, and back against Ron's torso. Her legs and feet rested on the seat beside his, and she snuggled into him the way she had at that funeral. She needed him to remember. She needed him to find that strength again. The strength he'd given her to lessen the water's power. She placed one hand in his hair, and her head beneath his chin.

"You've always been the greatest of us. The bravest, the one that had to face the most adversity, the best looking." Hermione laughed as Ron leaned his head down to look into her face. He raised an eyebrow mockingly. And even though he didn't believe it, it was true. She shoved his face back up playfully. "Everyone will remember you, Ron. You're a hero. You helped us with so much. Not the least bit in us understanding things about the Wizarding World we otherwise wouldn't have. You defended my honor when Malfoy called me a Mudblood. I didn't even know what it was then. You led us onto the trail of the Deathly Hallows... you've done so much, Ron. You didn't even have to. As a pure-blood you would have been fine. But you defended me and Voldermort's number one target. You gave Harry and I the last push we needed to find the Horcruxes. You kept us together. That's why you're going to be an amazing Auror someday. Don't you understand, Ron?"

"I understand that I still haven't paid Malfoy back for that one." Hermione laughed not only because the way the vibrations of his voice tickled against her, but because he'd chosen that to take from what she'd said. He was still Ron. And she was still Hermione. But more than that, they were Ron and Hermione. They couldn't survive without each other. They went hand in hand. Hermione would tell him he couldn't disapperate within Hogwarts, and Ron would forget probably just to tick her off. And give her reason to poke fun at him. He didn't see his worth without her. And she let the pressures of the world hold her down without him.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione began as she tried to tap his nose placatingly. As she wasn't looking at him, she tapped his lips instead. She didn't let that deter her though. "You realized what my greatest fear was. I hate opening myself up and rejection. I hate failure. It could have only ever been you or Harry I ended up with. You wedged yourselves into important roles gradually. Before I could stop it. It's only been you, really, that could ever have this role with me. You alone reassure me. You alone remind me that we'll get through our fights, but better for it on the other side. You give me hope, strength, and fun, Ron Weasley. Don't you ever doubt that."

And as Hermione had lost her balance due to the plastic chairs, and awkward position, she was using every bit of strength to not fall flat on her back on the ground. Thankfully, she saw the belief (the belief that would stay there forever) on his face before she plummeted to the ground. She'd always been better at magical theory than actions. But she doesn't care anymore. She doesn't care to be perfect at everything. She'll read her spells, show them to Ron, and together they'll learn to master them.

Hermione had landed in a place where the ground dipped somewhat. And she did feel like she was in the water. When Ron crawled over to her, and offered her a hand, it felt as though he was a baptizer pulling her up into her new life. And it was just that. Her life was as attached to Ron's as saved people's were to their God.

Hermione laughed hysterically at the absurd analogy. If Ron could read her mind, she knew he'd never doubt himself again. She was comparing him to a God of all things! She was absolutely mental. But maybe he was even more mental for loving her. For kissing her. For sliding down into the dirt with her.

When Harry and Ginny came back ouside, they found nothing out of the ordinary. But unknown to them, Ron and Hermione had gone back to the Chamber with the Time Turner, and they basked in the feeling of the enchanted water being stopped due to the enchantment-love-between them. Hermione realized she had been, in fact, enchanted to meet Ron Weasley.

And with him and her bond came a strength. A bond. Something as strong as any storm, but also something that could be dsetroyed by it. Something that was dangerous, but made each other stronger because of it. Something that others might even envy. But though they are a tempest themselves, they found they'll forever weather any storm together. They are the sun and moon. Thunder and lightning. Contradicting things that should, by all means destroy each other, but in their similarities they can't live without each other.

**Author's Note: First off, this is SO overdue. Harry Potter is one of my favorite fandoms ever. And I adore Ron/Hermione. But I don't read/write much for it because I don't think anyone could live up to J.K. Rowling. I don't mean that as an insult. But Jo was a genius with the entire series. She had everything planned perfectly, and it ended in the best way it could. I feel like reading HP fics, especially if they're supposed to take place after DH, would destroy all of that.**

**So mostly I read missing moments or different POVs from scenes in the books. LOL. **

**Anyway, with the Deathly Hallows Part 2 coming out on DVD, I got inspired. And this series does deserve me paying tribute to it. So this is my first HP fic, and it may very well be my last.**

**Obviously, I was inspired by the Horcrux scene, and probably over thought it all. LOL. But also the video "Ron and Hermione [The Kiss] Enchanted" by smileyfacebecca on YouTube inspired me. If you watch the vid, you'll probably notice things in this referencing it.**

**But even though I was inspired by the movie, I aimed to keep it true to the book. I always prefer to read fanfics based off of those, which is why I don't have the kiss in the Chamber. I hope everything's accurate. It's been awhile since I read DH, but (minus the kiss) the Horcrux thing could have gone like it did in the movie, right? All I remember Ron mentioning about it is this, "Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn't had the pleasure yet." But if I missed something, and made a huge mistake, I apologize.**

**And it was too fun to pass up the idea of Hermione helping Ron the way he had her. I think every now and again their doubts would resurface, but they'd always be reminded of the truth eventually.**

**I could explain how much Harry Potter means to me; I could explain what a big part of my life it's been, but I'm sure tons of people could explain it better. But I applaud this world and its characters. It will forever live on in my heart, and I'll spend more than my fair share of time on Pottermore. LOL.**

**And please forgive any typos. I don't have Microsoft Word at the moment. I've looked this over a lot, but I've still probably missed things. When I get MW back, I'll be sure to fix those mistakes.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-Shanna**


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